Yamaha prepared for the Portimao WorldSBK test by revealing its 2023 livery across all six YZF-R1’s on Monday evening.
2021 Superbike Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu once again spearheads the challenge from the blue corner alongside teammate Andrea Locatelli, with the Pata Yamaha Prometeon pairing joined by a raft of rookies for the 2023 season.
Former Moto2 Champion Remy Gardner - moving across after a year in MotoGP - and double WorldSSP Champion Dominique Aegerter line up for GYTR GRT, while the latter’s Supersport sparring partner Lorenzo Baldassarri joins him in the top flight aboard the GMT94 machine. BSB Champion Bradley Ray completes the Yamaha line up as he begins his career on the world stage with Motoxracing, however, the 25-year-old will only compete at the European rounds this season.
“For the first time, we will have six riders contracted directly by Yamaha representing our brand in the FIM Superbike World Championship, four of them World Champions and one national champion,” Yamaha Europe’s race manager Andrea Dosoli confirmed. “It’s a strong rider lineup, the strongest we’ve fielded since returning to the championship in 2016, and our expectations are high going into the new season.
“In Toprak and Andrea, we have two experienced championship campaigners, while Remy brings with him a wealth of experience from MotoGP. Dominique, Lorenzo, and Bradley are all proof that our unique step-up program, where Yamaha riders who excel at both an international and national level, are given the opportunity to step up to WorldSBK.
“The investment in our riders has also been matched by the investment in development, with the R1 improving in key areas, which was illustrated by the performance of all our riders at the recent Jerez test. We are in a good position to fight once again for the World Championship title, but we know that we need to eliminate the mistakes that robbed us of important points last year and put together a perfect season. Thanks to our riders, and I wish them the best of luck for the coming campaign.”
